Forever Irreplaceable
by Shuff15
Summary: Oliver makes a choice that he think will protect Felicity, but it backfires. Will Oliver be able to save Felicity again or will he lose her forever? DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated and I do not own the Arrow TV series. Thank for reading! All feedback is appreciated :)


**Chapter 1**

FELICITY

Felicity was slipping on her dress and heels, glaring at her reflection. It has been 3 months since Oliver had stopped Slade, 3 months since he locked him up in a cell back on Lian Yu. And it had been 3 months since Oliver told Felicity he loved her. He didn't mean it of course; it was just a plot to draw Slade to Felicity so she could inject him with the Mirakuru cure. Thinking of that night made her chest ache; ever since Oliver showed up in her IT lab with all of his "favors" she had felt something for him and it had only grown as each and every day passed. Staring at her reflection and seeing the emerald dress cling tightly to her curves and gently grace along the floor, she saw loneliness. Yes, she had her team and she still had Oliver but when she thought about it, they all had family and she came home to no one. She was estranged from her father and her mother was "living the dream" in Vegas.

Fortunately, she was hoping this op would take her mind off of things; for the first time since the Doll Maker she was going undercover. This time she was posing as a wealthy widow, whose drug lord husband had just passed away. Seeing that Slade's Mirakuru army was no longer wreaking havoc on the city, Team Arrow was looking in the shadows to do some cleaning up. She was to go to the annual Starling City Charity Ball and attract another drug lord who had just lost a ton of money due to Vertigo being taken off market (thanks to Oliver). She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to her car and on her way to the lair. She was hoping that Oliver wouldn't notice the emerald green of her dress. She wanted to tell herself that she didn't pick it out for him but she knew she would be lying to herself. She parked several blocks away from Mayor Blood's old campaign office (this is where the new lair was located) and she walked inside and clicked the finger print scanner under the railing to open the elevator. She was surprised to find that she wasn't scared of this mission and she was actually feeling quite confident. She could tell Oliver didn't feel the same as she saw him pacing in circles as she entered the lair and her confidence disappeared. He was dressed in a dark grey tux and looked as handsome as ever. She could see those sparkling blue eyes glisten as she got closer.

"Hey I'm glad you…..wow", Oliver stared at her, almost gawked as she saw his eyes trace her body from her collar bone all the way down to her heels and a sudden wave on anxiety hit her as her cheeks burned red.

"What, does this not look good? I knew I should have gone with something more casual and not with a dress that looked like I was attending a high school formal." Felicity mentally slapped herself in the head.

"No, you look amazing. Green looks so natural on you" He said and his lips twitched and she caught that he tried not to smile.

"You don't need to be nervous, ya know? I'm not used to going out in the field, but I can blend in pretty well when I really try." She said as the fear was now starting to make its way into her mind. She was probably trying to convince herself rather than him.

"She's got this Oliver. You'll be there too and I'll only be a few blocks away monitoring comms." Diggle cut in by giving Oliver a slap on the back. Diggle always had confidence in her and made her feel a little better. But she can tell by Oliver's eyes that he wasn't as confident and it made her self-conscious. She knows she's not Laurel or Sara and he doesn't see her as highly as he sees them, she should just keep telling herself that to get used to it.

Oliver

He couldn't stop staring at her dress and the way it hugged every single curve just right. And that's what made sending her out in the field so hard. He didn't want anyone seeing her the way he saw her; her blonde hair caressing the top of her shoulders, her deep blue eyes shyly looking down and the dress, that beautiful emerald green dress that he was hoping deep down she wore for him. Lately, he had tried to fight the feelings he had for her by drowning himself in workouts and pushing himself harder. Since he told her he loved her that night he defeated Slade he discovered that he really meant it. Oliver sighed and went to grab his gear and place it in a bag, just in case the Arrow needed to make an appearance tonight.

"Alright Digg, I need you to be ready if anything happens. I will need you there in less than 2 minutes flat. Felicity, Grayson Barrs is the man you'll be looking for, don't worry he will seek you out. Once he asks you to dance he will want to take you into one of the guest rooms at the Convention Center and try to convince you to come home with him and that's when you swipe the flash drive from his pocket that contains the coordinates for all of his drug trade offs. DO NOT let him touch you in any way that makes you uncomfortable." He put as much emphasis on that last part as possible because he was already beginning to shake with anger at the thought of that pig laying a hand on her.

"No worries, Cap. I am fairly capable of taking care of myself. Not in a League of Assassins sort of way, but in a way that…..well I probably just use my loud voice if anything goes wrong." She was rambling and he could tell she was getting nervous.

FELICITY

She was definitely beginning to get nervous but tried her best not to show it. She could already feel her face turning white, but at least it wasn't turning red with embarrassment like usual.

"You don't have to do this." Oliver pushed. "We can easily send Sara." Thinking that Oliver had more faith in Sara then he did her made a ping of anger flash in the back of her skull. She wanted to prove him wrong; she could take care of this easily. All she had to do was put on her Felicity charm and rock it.

"No." She said sternly. "I can do this, Oliver. Please, just trust me." She saw concern on his face but he eventually nodded. They worked their way to the cars. Diggle would be driving and dropping her off at the Convention Center. Once she got there her head filled with all the ways she could fail, but she pushed them to the far depths of her mind and continued forward.

As she entered the ballroom she did a quick sweep, finding all of the exits and scanned the level of security.

"Just breathe, Felicity." She heard Oliver in her ear thru comms. He could probably tell that she was holding her breath. She turned and searched for Oliver. He had just entered in with Laurel. She looked stunning in her dark blue gown. Jealousy flared thru Felicity but she pushed that away too. She needed to stay focused.

"Miss Romanov, you look lovely." She almost didn't turn around because she didn't recognize the name , but she quickly remembered that was her undercover name.

"That's him." Oliver whispered thru comms. Felicity suddenly felt like she was going to be sick and tried to hide that feeling from showing on her face.

"Thank you, Mr. Barrs." She put on her best heart-stealing smile.

"Would you mind joining me for a dance?" He held out his hand and she shuddered at the thought of touching it.

"Of course." She took it and he placed his hand on the lowest part of her back and she swore she heard Oliver curse in Russian.

"I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of you husband, Miss Romanov." He said politely.

"Please, call me Lana. And yes, it was tragic but my husband and I weren't very close. He mainly just needed an escort to look pretty and play the part." She was actually surprised at how well she was handling things now.

"Well, I do not mean to sound frank but I am glad you are available now. Would you like to join me in one of the private rooms to discuss some business? I have a feeling we would work quite well together."

"Of course, please lead the way." She took his hand and that's when her heart dropped to her stomach. She heard Oliver and Digg giving her words of encouragement, but their words were muttered. She was too scared to think right now and tried to focus on getting the drive. She was on her own now.

 **CHAPTER 2**

FELICITY

They were in a dimly lit room and she knew the reason why. There was a long couch in the far corner of the room and he led her there. When she took a seat he sat down right next to her and a little too close for comfort. He then began kissing her wrist and working his way up to her neck. His hand had found the slit of her dress and started massaging the inner part of her thigh. She thought she was going to vomit; maybe Sara would have been better for this job so she could just beat the crap out of him and steal the drive that way. But this needed to be subtle and unsuspecting. He started kissing her lips and she tried her best not to kiss back but ended up having to. He tasted like tobacco and her need to vomit intensified. His lips released hers and he worked his way from her jaw line to her ear while his hand moved up her thigh and then he froze. She felt his grip tighten on her thigh; it would leave bruises for sure. He took a handful of her hair and yanked it back, pain stinging the back of her head. Tears welled in her eyes in fear and she heard him spit out:

"Who are you working for! Why do you have this ear piece?" He yanked the comm set from her ear and crushed it with his foot. He then threw her to the ground and kicked her hard in the stomach. She screamed in pain and knowing he had to have broken some ribs. He yanked her back up by her hair and repeated himself, "Who are you working for you slut!" And he slammed her against the wall. Her vision was blurred and clouded by blood and tears welled up in her eyes. Oliver had to notice her comms were down, but it may be too late. Three more of Barrs men entered the room. One of the bulkier ones threw her over his shoulder, avoiding gentleness. They slipped her out the back door and were taking her to what looked like a black van when all of a sudden she heard the swoosh of an arrow pass her ear and enter her captors shoulder. He fell along with her and she slammed on the pavement and then her world went black.

Oliver

Rage burned through Oliver's veins as he jumped down the fire escape and onto the pavement right in front of Barrs. He wasted no time shooting an arrow through both of his knees, making him scream out in agony. Oliver then continued to punch him. Blinded by hatred he followed each punch with an even stronger one until he felt someone grab his arm. Diggle had a hold on him.

"STOP! He needs to be alive!" Oliver was lost for a moment. He looked on the ground where Felicity laid unconscious and guilt consumed him. "I'll take Barrs to SCPD while you take Felicity back to the lair." Oliver got down on his knees and stroked her blood soaked hair. "Now!" Digg screamed and that jolted Oliver into action. He lifted her up and placed her on his lap as he got on his motorcycle and sped back to the lair. The whole ride all he could feel was the lump in his throat.

Once he got to the lair he laid her limp body on the med-bay and collapsed on the floor. How could he of let this happened.

He heard someone running down the steps, but didn't bother to look up. "How is she, has she woken up?" Digg hurried to Felicity's side only to be filled with disappointment. "Oliver, you couldn't have known this was going to happen."

"But I could have prevented it, John! I should have never let her go out in the field or she would be safe and unharmed. I know that she did nothing wrong, it was that gold-digging pig! And I swear, I'm going to make him pay!" Oliver was getting angry again and started pacing. He punched the wall and his knuckles burned from the impact until he heard a small groan and instantly turned around to see Felicity moving. He immediately rushed to her side to steady her.

FELICITY

She was coming to, but felt a throbbing pain in the back of her head. Her vision was still blurred but she could make out the fuzzy objects that were Oliver, Digg and others that joined them shortly after; she guessed they were Laurel, Sara and Roy.

"How long have I've been out?" Felicity winced as she tried to sit up but not before she was gently laid back down by Oliver's firm hand.

"You need to stay down, Felicity." Concern was obvious in his raspy voice. "You took quite a beating. I'm so sorry. I should have never have let you go out in the field, you shouldn't of…."

"Well at least I completed the mission." Pride echoed her voice as she smiled weakly.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked as she saw that everyone was staring at her in confusion.

"Well while Senor Psychopath was beating the beejezzles out of me, I happened to swipe this from his coat pocket." She pulled the flash drive that she had clipped to her bra. Even though her body was practically screaming in pain, she couldn't help but flash a smile knowing she had done well.

"How in the hell….." Roy's voice trailed off as he gawked in disbelief.

"Way to go, Blondie!" Sara applauded her. She hated that nickname, but at least she had earned the approval from the assassin. Felicity turned to Oliver hoping to get the same enthusiasm out of him but she was sadly mistaken. Oliver's face was pained and even though he was relieved she got the drive you could still see the agitation on his face.

"You shouldn't have had to go through that. No more ops in the field! I want you strictly behind the computer for now on!" His voice echoed through the lair and anger seethed through Felicity's blood.

"I know I got hurt, but I got the job done Oliver! This happens to you guys ALL the time and you don't baby them." She was aggravated that Oliver was noticing her injuries over her success. She tried to stand to protest him but lunged to the floor. She saw panic on Oliver's face, but as quickly as she had fallen she was on her feet.

"Gotta watch your step, Miss Smoak." Barry Allen flashed that big smile, no pun intended. He had scooped her up with that super speed of his and gently lifted her back onto the med-bay.

"Barry!" She practically shouted with excitement and quickly blushed afterwards realizing that everyone had noticed her ecstatic reaction. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Oliver called me and told me about what happened. He asked me to check you out to see how extensive your injuries are." She couldn't help but glare at Oliver, but with a hint of a smile. It's hard to stay mad at him when she knows he is just trying to look after her.

After Barry was done scanning her over and gave her the all clear he bid everyone goodbye and zoomed back to Central City. Luckily, all she had were some very bad bruises and a bump on the head. She felt worse than the actual diagnosis, but she was actually ready to go home and lay in her bed.

"Well guys, tonight has been really fun and can't wait to do this again" she said with sarcasm, "but I think it's time for me to hit the hay." She worked her way towards the elevator when she felt a warm grip on her arm, Oliver.

"No way are you driving home in your state." He swiped her car keys and she began to argue but he placed a finger on her lips which made her lips burn and she soon let her imagination get the best of her. She shook her head thinking that would help the thoughts go away and simply continued to walk up the steps. It was probably going to be a long night.

Oliver

He hopped in the front seat of her mini cooper after opening the door for Felicty, automatically having to adjust the seat and mirrors due to his towering height over her. Oliver had a feeling she would begin to argue as soon as her started to drive and quickly pressed the CD button on her stereo. He had always wondered what type of music she had been interested in and was actually surprised to hear the smooth rhythm of jazz.

"Don't you start with judging my music taste!" She slapped his hand away from her stereo and he smiled in amusement.

"I never saw you as the jazz type. You captured me more as the hard core metal, Metallica type." He teased and that earned him another slap on the shoulder. A laugh rumbled in his chest and he soon realized, that is the first time he has laughed in 3 months.

"Do you even listen to music?" She was quick to tease back.

"I'm getting the feeling that you're calling me old fashioned." He playfully smirked while he began pulling by the curb of her apartment building. He surprisingly found himself sad that she lived so close to the lair, it made the car ride with her shorter. "How about I walk you to your apartment and make sure you make it up alright." She gave him and exasperated sigh and nodded, he was out of the car before she could get her door open. He helped her out and up the stairs and came to a stop when they reached her apartment. He had tried not to notice but Felicity looked particularly beautiful, even after getting into a fight with a drug lord. He blinked his eyes and tried to focus.

"Well thank you for escorting me all the way home. I did imagine this under different circumstances, platonic of course. Would you like to come in? I don't have any alcohol, not that you would want to drink or anything or that I would want to get you drunk. I do have sparkling grape juice we could have that or…." He laughed again, she was rambling.

"Felicity" he placed his hand on her shoulder, "I would love to come in." For the first time in 6 years, he was actually nervous to be around a woman.

Felicity

Felicity couldn't believe Oliver was actually coming into her apartment. He had been there before but it was always strictly business or he was with Digg. "Want anything to drink?" She asked as she leaned to take her shoes off. She winced as her bruised ribs argued with her simple bend. Oliver was quick to her side and she waved him off. She didn't want to seem like she needed help. "No worries, just a little sore. I'll have to cross _Getting into a fight with a drug Lord_ off my bucket list." She chuckled to herself, thinking that was a pretty funny. But, when she looked up at Oliver she saw him tense and walk over to the couch.

"You should have never been put in that situation." She could tell he was angry, but it was at himself.

"Oliver, it wasn't your fault. It was my idea to go undercover. I'm a grown woman and more than capable of making my own choices." She tried to sound calm. She hated being treated like a damsel in distress. "You can't protect me from everything and I'm going to go out in the field again because I am a part of the team!"

"No!" He growled. "I cannot have you risking your life like that. We have it handled."

"I know I'm not Sara, but I'm not a helpless little girl. You could train me, teach me what you all know and then I can help more." Before she knew it he had both of her wrists in his hand and pulled up to his chest.

"Don't compare yourself to Sara." He was pacing again. "You're different than her! I feel something for you that I don't feel for Sara." And her breath caught. She could tell by the expression on his face that he didn't mean to reveal that much. He turned around and brushed a hand through his hair. "Felicity, it's not that I don't think you're capable of taking care of yourself it's just that…." Felicity could tell he was having a tough time coming up with the words.

"It's okay Oliver," she cupped his face in her small hands, "you don't have to explain your reasoning. I trust your intentions are for the best and I" before she could finish Oliver had placed his lips against hers. She froze, but only for a second and then after that she completely lost herself in his grasp. He pulled her closer careful to be gentle knowing she was hurt, but the embrace felt right. She had lost track of time and wasn't aware that he pulled away until she heard his soft laughter. She opened her eyes and she saw him for the first time. His eyes were a glistening blue and she wanted to dive into them. His scruff on his face hid his jaw but she could still see his defined jaw line. She noticed the way his shirt clung to his muscles and hid the scars of his past. Right there she discovered she was in love with Oliver Queen.

"I'm sorry that I startled you." He was full out smiling now. He must have seen the utter surprise on her face. "I just couldn't find the words to tell you how I felt so I thought that would do the trick." Felicity was still in shock. She licked her lips and she still tasted him.

"Please, don't apologize. I've been waiting for you to do for a long time." She was smiling too now. They spent the next hour lying on the couch talking and kissing when she began to nod off. Next thing she knew she was waking up, but she was in her bed. She walked out into the living room to find Oliver sleeping on the couch. He was way too tall for her tiny couch but he made himself comfortable. Happiness enveloped her and she went to make coffee for the both of them. She wondered how he would react when he woke up.

Oliver

He knew she was awake. He heard her rustling in the kitchen and could smell the coffee as it filled the room with its warmness. He rose up and stared at her, she had changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, which hugged her body in all the right ways. He stood up from the couch and stretched and walked over and kissed her. "Good morning!" He said happily in mid stretch.

"Good morning, it seemed like you slept well." Felicity added as she was pouring him a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I did. That's probably the best night of sleep I've gotten in months." He was telling the truth. Since Slade had killed his mother, Oliver had been on edge but for the first time in a while, he felt happy. He took a moment and stared at Felicity, he could actually see himself building a life with her. But then it stuck him; he couldn't have a life with her, his life was full of danger and pain and that was something he didn't want her to be pulled into. The thought made him sulk and Felicity took notice.

"Hey, are you alright?" She placed her hand on his cheek and he gave her a gentle smile.

"Yeah. I just remembered I have a lot to do today in regards to updating the new lair and finding me a job." He sort of lied, he really did need to work on the new design for the lair. Plus, he wasn't a billionaire anymore so they needed some sort of income to fund the team. He leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead. Oliver lingered a little longer than he should have. "I'm sorry to run out, but I'll see you tonight." Felicity must have believed him because she flashed him one of her genuine smiles.

"Okay, see you later." She walked him to the door and she kissed him one last time and then he was jolting down the stairs. As soon he reached the bottom of the stairs his phone rang.

"Hey Digg, what's up?" Oliver asked.

"Oliver, we have a problem. Slade has escaped Lian Yu." Oliver's fists clenched, this changed everything.

 **CHAPTER 3**

Oliver

Oliver was already in the lair with Digg. "How did this happen?" He asked angrily while he paced the floor.

"We don't know. I just got off the phone with Lyla telling us to brace ourselves. You know he's coming back Oliver." Of course Oliver knew this, it's what he was coming back for that he was worried about. Slade wanted Oliver to feel the pain he did. "I know what you're thinking, you can't push Felicity away. I know how you feel about her, but breaking her heart isn't going to protect her." Digg practically read his mind, but Oliver had already made his decision.

"Don't speak a word of this to her. I have a plan and it involves you backing me up. You have to trust me, please John." By the looks on Diggle's face he could tell that he was conflicted, but he eventually nodded. Oliver hated what he had to do but I was necessary.

Felicity

Felicity had a tough time job searching too. She was going over different interviewing scenarios in her head to try and figure out what she was doing wrong, but her thoughts were distracted about what happened between her and Oliver last night. The thoughts made her smile and she wondered what would happen now. Would Oliver ask her on a date? Should she ask him on a date? The guy always made the first move right? She was still asking mental questions as she walked into the lair and suddenly froze.

"What are you all doing?" She saw Laurel and Oliver sitting at her computer post. It looks as if they were trying to figure things out.

"Ollie was just showing me how to work the comms and GPS tracker. It seems he's a little rusty though." Laurel and Oliver smiled at each other and Felicity's face burned. She wasn't jealous that Laurel and Oliver were giggling with each other; however Laurel was in her seat at her computer and using her programs. Oliver was already teaching Laurel how to fight; now he wants her to work computers too.

"Ohh, great. Laurel do you mind giving me and Oliver a minute." Felicity put on a fake smile and Laurel nodded and walked to the elevator. "What in the hell Oliver?" she tried using her angry voice in a whisper because she didn't know if Laurel had left yet. "Why are you teaching Laurel MY job, which is impossible to teach might I add."

"It's not that difficult of a job, Felicity. And I just had the idea; it wouldn't hurt for Laurel to know things. She's a part of the team now." Oliver's face almost looked smug and Felicity didn't understand.

"But, that's my job. That is the one thing I am sure I can do to the best of my ability. Why are you trying to act like I'm replaceable?" Oliver rolled his eyes and started to walk off. What was with him?

"You are reading way too into this, Felicity." He started working out on the salmon bars that so graciously showed off his biceps, but Felicity was too angry to admire them right now.

"I'm not reading way too into this. What happened? I thought we had fun last night? That we actually had something, didn't last night mean anything?" Oliver jumped down, obviously annoyed at this point.

"Felicity, last night was just me checking up on you. You're my friend and you got hurt, any friend would have done what I did." He walked over to where his quiver was laying on the table and started counting his arrows, Felicity was furios.

"Okay, umm do friends kiss?" She placed he hands on her hips, trying to seem meaner.

"Felicity that was a mistake. It was me feeling sorry for you and what you went through, I feel like I owed you something to make you feel better. That's it, it meant nothing!" He almost shouted and Felicity's heart sunk to the pit of her stomach. She didn't understand how someone could do that. Why would Oliver kiss her if he didn't mean it? Anger soared through her and she pointed her finger on his chest, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes.

"Why? Why then? Why kiss me? That is low Oliver, even for you." He looked hurt but he shrugged it off, he began to speak but Felicity interrupted him. "You are acting like I'm something you can just toss aside, with the kiss and now trying to get Laurel to do my job. You're acting like I'm replaceable and I…"

"Well maybe you are replaceable!" Oliver shouted and it filled the room. For the first time, Felicity was speechless. "I honestly want to keep the team in the family and to the people I have known for all of my life" he must have been meaning Laurel and Sara, "with the exclusion of Digg because he actually provides value to the team." Felicity had felt like she had been shot in the chest. She didn't understand why he was saying all of this. She was running all the past scenarios in her head to find out where she went wrong. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. "Everyone else agreed with my decision so you should leave, I'm sorry but we no longer need your services." Oliver talked to her like she was an employee and she felt the tears sting her eyes. She began to protest but Oliver noticed and interrupted, "I don't need you anymore!" He screamed and turned away in frustration. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out. She didn't want Oliver to see her cry because he was handling this better than she was. She ran to the elevator and left, convinced she was never going to come back. She went straight to her apartment and started packing. She didn't have a job, a family, a team or friends now and she couldn't understand why. She wanted to go some place where she held value, but she couldn't think of anywhere. She thought of Central City, where Barry, Caitlin and Cisco and decided that would be best. It is familiar territory but it wouldn't be permanent. She just needed to get away. She packed up some clothes and placed everything in her trunk and sent Barry a quick text telling him that she was going to be spending a little while in Central City. She hopped in the driver's seat and turned the ignition then she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Oliver, if you're here to apologize save your…."

"Ohh Ms. Smoak, I don't think Oliver will be coming." Slade. His voice sent chills down her spine. "Let's say we take a drive, somewhere quiet and peaceful. Just the two of us. Drive now!" He barked and she jumped, she put the car in gear and drove not knowing if she would live through the night.

 **CHAPTER 4**

Felicity

Felicity woke up on a cold, damp floor with pain spreading like fire in her left ankle. All she remembered was driving Slade to an abandoned motel and then everything going black. She didn't understand, how did Slade escape, what did he want with her and she wondered if Oliver knew. It's not like any of it mattered; Oliver wouldn't be looking for her because he wanted her to leave. Felicity felt a mixture of terror and sadness because a part of her knew she was going to die in this hell hole waiting for Oliver to come save her when he would not. She didn't think any less of Oliver, she loved him with all of her being and she wanted to keep him safe. No matter what he said, he had to have said it in distress. She knew Oliver and he would eventually find out about Slade and come stop him. So, here's to hoping.

"Day dreaming Ms. Smoak?" She hadn't realized Slade had been there the whole time and she didn't even try to hide the scowl that crossed her face.

"I don't know why you captured me. I am no longer affiliated with Oliver." She glared at him, trying to sound more fierce than scared.

"I highly doubt that. Oliver cares for you very deeply and he'll come for you, he'll search for you and when he finds you, I'll kill you in front of him." Then all of a sudden it hit Felicity like a brick wall. How could she not have seen this sooner? The timing was perfect; Oliver practically forced Felicity to leave because he knew Slade had escaped and didn't want her having any idea because he didn't want her vulnerable. Even though his idea didn't go according to plan she knew that deep down that Oliver cared, maybe not in the romantic way but at least a sincere one. But this changed her plan completely; she loved Oliver and had to keep him safe so now her plan was distraction. Slade obviously has anger issues so she'll press all the right buttons. Hopefully, this will give Oliver some time to find them and enough time to have a plan to stop Slade for good.

"You seem to be in a bit of a trance. Are you reminiscing on memories of Oliver?" Slade teased. He had noticed that she wasn't paying attention to him. So now it was time to piss him off and she had a funny feeling it was going to be a painful conversation.

"No, I was actually thinking about how oblivious you must be."She let a coy laugh escape her mouth and she saw Slade tense. She swallowed hard and kept going. "Remember the last time you captured me and held me captive? I injected you with the cure. It was the plan all along and you fell for it. You're as gullible now as you were 3 months ago and you can…" SLAP. Her face stung. Slade had back handed her left cheek. She knew that was going to leave a nasty bruise but she tried to hold back the tears and keep mocking him. "You got the wrong girl. AGAIN" she said with emphasis, "look, I don't know what you heard, but I was just a pawn for Oliver. He got rid of me a while back and when you captured me I was off to start a new life so he's not going to come looking for me because he knows I'm gone. So you might as well get your head out of your…." She saw Slade's fist coming and braced for the pain, she felt the impact and her body collapse on the floor and she was out.

She felt water splash against her faced and gasped for air. She woke up to Slade holding a bucket, staring at her. No telling how long she had been unconscious but Slade obviously knew what she was thinking. "You've been out for 3 days, Ms. Smoak. After I knocked you unconscious I administered a sedative into your blood stream to keep you quiet until Oliver showed up. But he hasn't, so I guess you were right. He has forgotten all about you." She attempted to get up but Slade kicked his boot into her stomach. She rolled over in agony, coughing to try and catch her breath. Slade then wrapped his fingers around her neck, squeezing her throat making her see stars. "I guess since he's not coming, I no longer have any use for you."

"You know," she tried to rasp out, "it takes a real coward to beat up a defenseless woman." He then loosened his grip and threw her to the ground.

"NO! IT TAKES A COWARD TO LET HIS FRIENDS PAY FOR HIS SINS" He screamed, making Felicity scoot as far away from him as possible and he began to walk towards her. "I will give him 12 more hours and if he doesn't show, I will send you to him in pieces!" Slade left the room slamming the door behind him. Felicity breathed a sigh of relief and lay on the cold concrete floor. She was still hoping Oliver would come for her and if he didn't then she would die for him. The thought didn't bother her. Dying for someone she loved seemed like the right way to go in her opinion.

Oliver

It had been 3 days since Felicity had left and he still hadn't heard anything from Barry. He had called Barry before his staged altercation with Felicity and gave him a heads up that Felicity would most likely come there in order to seek a team and he explained to him the situation. Barry had called the night Felicity had left and told Oliver he received a text from Felicity saying that she was coming to Central City and Oliver felt relieved. But he had not heard anything since so he decided to call Barry again.

"Barry, are you alone?" Oliver asked as he paced in the lair

"I am now, what's up?"

"Has Felicity arrived?" He asked sternly, hoping for Barry to say yes.

"No she hasn't." Oliver scowled. "I figured she decided to make a few pit stops along the way since Central City is a 600 mile drive. By the way you described the situation; it sounded like she needed time."

"Yes, but I also told you that Slade had escaped. You should have told me sooner Barry!" Oliver scolded him. Barry tried to say something but Oliver interrupted. "Have Cisco trace her phone." He then heard Cisco's voice in the background and heard him say Ah-Ha. "Where is she?" Oliver demanded.

"She's about 80 miles out of Starling City, at a Louvre Motel. But that's funny…" Barry trailed off.

"What is it Barry?" Oliver practically shouted.

"That motel shut down over 30 years ago. It's abandoned." Oliver hung up without even getting the address and turned to Digg.

"We need to go, now." Digg didn't question him and they sped to the abandoned Motel.

They got there surprisingly fast due to the speed Oliver went, but breaking the law was the least of his worries. He spotted her car in the far corner of the parking lot. He opened the door only to find blood splatter on the front seat and a note taped to the steering wheel. _SEE YOU SOON, KID._ Oliver punched the window out of the car. Furious he hopped on his bike. He had to find her. This is what he was trying to prevent. He felt Diggle's hand on his shoulder and flinched.

"Oliver we need a plan. We can't just go in guns a'blazzin without a plan. We won't win." Diggle tried to convince him.

"You don't understand, John. My last words to her were that I didn't need her. She could die thinking that I hated her, when I actually love her." Oliver felt his eyes swell and tried to push back the emotion he was feeling. "If she dies, she'll die believing a lie. I love her, John. I can't lose her." Diggle must have seen the desperation in his eyes because he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Then let's go get our Felicity." Before another word could be spoken they were both speeding away. Oliver needed to find Felicity, he had to. If she died, then so did he.

 **CHAPTER 5**

Oliver

They were back to the lair where they met Lyla. She had pulled some strings and was able to use some of ARGUS's resources to help them find Felicity. "Alright, Slade wouldn't go far, he wants me to be able to find them." Oliver was rubbing his temples trying to think of all the possible places she might be; when they lived on the California coast that really made their options broad.

"Well he took her 80 miles out of the city and then switched cars, there must have been a reason. They had to go farther than we think." Diggle suggested. Oliver could tell he was just saying what he was thinking to make it seem like they were making progress when in reality, they had zero leads.

Three hours passed and they had gotten nowhere. Every single lead they thought they had turned out to be a dead end. Oliver's frustration had transitioned into pure rage, he flipped the med-bay scattering medical supplies across the floor. "Why haven't we found her yet?" Oliver growled.

"We'll find her Ollie." Sara tried her best to be reassuring but he could see it in her eyes that she was beginning to lose hope too.

"We need to try a different angle," Lyla added, "so far, we have just been looking for facial recognition and we know that Slade would not slip up like that."

"Felicity will reach out to us, I know she will. She is the smartest woman I know and she's strong, Oliver." Diggle was the only one who was still high in hopes in the room. Oliver felt like he was dying on the inside. He couldn't forget his last words to her _, I don't need you anymore._ The word stung to him, he couldn't imagine how they felt to her. He remembered how he screamed at her and acted annoyed by her presence when he actually felt the opposite. In a life full of darkness, she was his light. He had never realized it until she was gone. He had been so caught up in being the vigilante hero that he forgot how it was like to love. His familiarity with death was all too well and he didn't want Felicity's name to be added to the list of innocents who had paid the price for his sins. He will find her and when he does he won't take another moment for granted.

Felicity

Felicity had lost track of the amount of time she had been laying on the floor. He could have at least offered her a chair or even a blanket, but she remembered he wasn't the hospitable type. She knew her team had to be looking for her and she needed a way to send them a distress signal, but resources were extremely limited (more like non-existent). The only sign of electricity was the blinking light bulb that dangled above her head. There had to be a way out.

"Get ready Ms. Smoak, we're going for another ride." Slade said in an almost playful tone.

"What? I thought we were waiting for Oliver to come here?" She was confused, but relieved at the same time. This place was unfamiliar territory for Oliver, wherever this place was, and Slade would have the advantage.

"It's become clear that Oliver isn't coming for you, so we will go to him." He had a cloth sack in his hand which she knew was meant for her head and she rolled her eyes. Why was she even alive? She should have been dead by now, but I guess Slade liked to play with his food.

"You don't have to do this Slade." Felicity pleaded, trying to find a sincere part of his ice cold heart. "I don't know you, but Oliver never talked ill of you. He only spoke of the man before Mirakuru. The man Oliver described was an honest, brave and kind. I know you're still that man and Shado would have.." Slade punched her right in the eye, she wasn't expecting that. Pain surged through the front of her skull.

"DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK HER NAME!" His words spit out like venom, but Felicity wouldn't stop trying to appeal to his better nature. He slipped the sack over her head and easily threw her over his shoulder. Pain coiled in her stomach from where he had kicked her a few days ago. They were outside and the sun practically blinded her, even through the sack. She had spent 5 days in a dark basement and was so relieved to feel the warm heat of the sun. He threw her in the trunk and slammed the door shut.

They drove for what seemed like 30 minutes when he finally pulled over. Slade opened the trunk and lifter her out, pulling the cloth sack off of her head. She blinked so her eyes could adjust to the light and she noticed they were in the desert. Great.

"This should lure Oliver out to come rescue you. Even though you say he doesn't feel anything towards you, he will feel the weight of your life on his shoulders. I will not kill you, yet. I will leave that up to Oliver." Slade was circling her, like his prey.

"Slade, please don't. I know you're in pain. I know you hate Oliver for what you think he did. But what would you have done? He was faced with an impossible choice and he pays for that choice every day by living the life he does. I know you are only doing this because the Mirakuru is still in your system, but you don't have to be a slave to its chemical demands. You are your own man and can make the choice to run away from this, to start a new life that honors her and move on. Please Slade?" She begged him and for once, she saw remorse in his face. He was shaking his head and was obviously conflicted on what to do with the inner war going inside his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Slade's voice was a whisper and he didn't look her in the eye. "Please pay attention to the instructions I give you Felicity, because this will save your life." He said he name with sadness and even though she knew he was going to go on with his plan, she knew she had reached him somewhere.

"I am going to inject you with a pain inducing drug, Hydrex. This drug will inflict pain throughout your body and it will intensify with each passing minute. After one hour, the drug will then stop your heart and you will die. I was able to stash the antidote in an injection arrow in Oliver's quiver. In order to stop the pain and keep the drug from killing you, Oliver will have to inject the arrow into your chest to keep the Hydrex from reaching your heart. You have EXACTLY one hour." Slade was preparing the drug and Felicity started to cry, knowing there was no way Oliver would find her in time. She was going to die today. Slade noticed her anguish and spoke. "I am sorry, Felicity. The side effects from being on Mirakuru have been burned into my mind. My mourning of Shado has blinded my judgment as well. The man that Oliver speaks of, the man that was on the island, he is gone. The monster inside me trumps the man I used to be." Slade sounded almost regretful and surprisingly, she felt sympathy for him.

He pulled the syringe out of the vile and stuck her arm. Fire burned throughout the left side of her body and she began to scream. Her arm felt like it had been dipped into molten lava and she cried and begged for the pain to stop, but she managed to slip out words as she saw Slade making his way to the car. "Slade, I forgive you." She managed to say through painful sobs. And he instantly turned around and placed what looked like a grenade by her head.

"It is not what you think it is. This device sets off an electronic ping that will signal out your location. I have also set the timer for one hour. I don't want you fearing when death will come" And with that he was gone. Felicity tried to move but noticed every time she made a single movement her body would be engulfed in a sea of blinding pain. Agony escaped her lips and she was trying to fight back tears but it was impossible. She felt like she was in a bed of fire and slowly burning to death. She didn't want to think of what the next hour would hold; she only prayed that Oliver would show up to inject her with the antidote, so she continued to scream.

Oliver

Oliver had become more agitated and impatient. It seems like they have been wasting time looking at places where Felicity was not. "That's it, I'm going to go search for her. Standing and waiting here is accomplishing nothing and I.."

"Wait, Oliver come see this." Diggle interrupted as he glanced down at Felicity's desktop. "There is an electronic ping going off near Death Valley." Oliver's heart stopped. The desert, that could not be good.

"Diggle, you're with me. Lyla, Sara and Roy, you all stay here and monitor her location and let us know if she moves." Oliver sprinted to the elevator, decked out in full Arrow attire. This ended tonight.

 **Chapter 6**

Oliver was on his motorcycle while Digg followed behind in the van. "Lyla, status update now!" He demanded.

"She hasn't moved Oliver, you are 15 minutes out from her location." Oliver accelerated. He was going to get to her faster than that, even if he left Diggle in the dust.

It had been 10 minutes until someone had spoke on comms and he heard Sara's voice. "Oliver, you should see her any second now." And then he saw her in the distance, lying next to the road. And she was curled up in a ball, screaming and crying in agony. What had Slade done?

Oliver quickly pulled over right next to Felicity and scanned her body. She was beaten, badly. Anger pulsed through Oliver that he had never felt before and he reached towards Felicity to pull her into his arms, until she shrieked. "Please, please don't touch me." She begged as tears poured down her cheeks. He didn't understand and he felt his chest tighten at the sight of her in obvious pain. "Slade injected me with a pain serum. He…he….he said that pain intensifies…" She stopped to cry and scream more and tears began to swell in his eyes seeing her in such agony. "it intensifies with each minute. The timer, I'm going to die. Please Oliver, make it go away. Make the pain stop, please?" She was rolled on her stomach now, clinching her fists and Oliver was lost. He didn't know how to save her, he couldn't watch her die.

"Diggle, what do I do?" The pain in Oliver's voice was obvious as he searched for answers to save her. Diggle stood there, eyes widened in fear. He was just as lost as he was.

"Oliver,"Felicity's fingers grazed his knee, "Slade placed the antidote in one of your injection arrows. Stab me in the chest, please. You have to or I'm going to die." Felicity's eyes fell on the timer which read 3 minutes and she continued sobbing and screaming. Oliver's heart was racing. He couldn't stab her in the chest, what if it killed her. But, she was dying anyway and he had no time to think. He reached for the injection arrow in his quiver and saw a green liquid. He lifted his arm to inject it in her chest when Diggle shouted.

"Oliver, you don't know what that could do to her. She said Slade placed it in your quiver so it could be anything."

"I'm not letting her die John! I have no other choice." Oliver shouted and he felt Felicity on his knee again,

"Oliver, please!" She was sobbing in his lap and without a second thought he pushed her on her back and injected the chest with the serum. Felicity let out a blood gurgling scream which made Oliver turn white with fear. For the first time in a long time, he pleaded and begged God to save the woman he loved. Felicity continued to scream and cry and suddenly stopped. Her eyes shut as the remaining tears ran down her cheeks.

"Felicity?" Oliver choked out her name. She couldn't be dead, she couldn't be. He went and pulled her limp body to his chest and a sob escaped his throat. He was preparing himself to tell the team when he heard Felicity inhale deeply and saw her eyes open wide. "Felicity, Felicity say something to me." Oliver cupped her face in his hands and words of velvet escaped her lips.

"Oliver." Her voice was weak and she sounded exhausted, but relief and joy spread through Oliver's body. He gently pulled her to his chest, tears escaping his eyes and falling on her blonde hair.

"I thought I lost you." He said through his tears and he felt her fingers spread over his chest and she sighed. Diggle came and kneeled beside them, placing a hand on both him and Felicity. "Oliver, we probably need to survey the grounds for Slade and…"

"Oliver, please. Don't leave me. I can't be alone, please stay with me." Felicity cried out and tears began to fill her eyes again. Oliver shot a glance at Diggle and he got the hint. Oliver pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whimpered against his chest and he made a promise to himself that he would never put her in the line of danger again.

Felicity

She must have been asleep the entire ride back to Starling City because when she woke up she was in the lair. She was lying down on the couch, her head on Oliver's lap. He was stroking her hair with his left hand while the thumb of his right hands was making circles on the dimple of her back. She could care less about the skin to skin contact of his thumb with her back; all she was focused on was Oliver.

Sara was speaking, "Is their anyway we could track the type of car Slade was driving? Maybe Felicity could give us a description and…."

"NO!" Oliver said deeply. "You are not making her re-live that." He must have noticed she had woken and softened his tone. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you. We were just talking strategy on some things." He tried to hide that they were talking about Slade. But surprisingly, the thought of Slade did not terrify her. The thought of the pain though, the blood boiling memory of the pain she experienced was etched into her mind and her stomach turned in knots. What she remembered most was the fire; her skin had felt like it was melting off and she began to gently rub her skin, thankful that the burning was gone forever.

"We took a sample of your blood, there were still traces of the serum in your system so we are having Caitlin analyze it at STAR Labs." Diggle added and she smiled when she saw him. She was so happy to be back with her team, but then had remembered what Oliver had said before she was kidnapped by Slade, what made her leave in the first place. She knew Oliver didn't mean it but thinking about the words he said that night still stung.

"That's great." She was honestly at a loss for words. She began to slowly set up and she felt Oliver's hands shift to her sides, his touch tingled her skin but she quickly dismissed the thoughts. "I honestly feel like I need a shower, lying on a cold damp floor for days makes you miss a nice hot bath." She laughed slightly but everyone just stared at her sadly. That wasn't her best attempt at being her old self; it may take her a while to get back to her joking groove. "Well then, I think I'm going to go home and get some rest." She began to stand when she noticed that Oliver was directly by her side. "Oliver, I'm fine. You don't have to escort me home; we both know how that ended last time." Man, she really wasn't acting like herself. Oliver let the jab slide.

"There is no way that I'm allowing to be alone yet. I coming to stay with you, just to make sure you're okay. C'mon, I'll drive." Felicity wasn't going to argue. She wasn't exactly comfortable with being alone anyway. She waved bye to the others and followed Oliver to the elevator and then out to his car. She was hoping that the awkwardness stayed at a minimum tonight.

 **CHAPTER 7**

Felicity

Oliver helped her into her apartment and she felt a sense of security fall over her. She wanted to stay at home for as long as possible and just relax. She breathed in deeply, the smell of her apple cinnamon candle warmer filled the air and she smiled. "Thanks for bringing me home, Oliver. Do you want anything?"

"How about you try showering first and then I can order some take-out. I know how you love Thai food." He went to her linen closet and grabbed a towel and motioned her to the bathroom. She hesitantly followed and imagined this under different circumstances and found herself smiling again. "Ummm do you need any help? Sara took care of all you wound dressing, the majority of it being on your face." He looked down, he obviously found it difficult to discuss her wounds.

"I'm fine Oliver. Thank you." She gave him a gentle smile and he smiled in return.

"I will be right in the living room if you need me."He placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, halfway expecting pain to surge through her body. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I just thought…" He trailed off, guilt spread across his face.

"No, no, it's okay. When you touched me, I just expected well…." She trailed off too. Felicity wasn't sure she was ready to talk about it. "I'll be out in about 45 minutes."She joked and that brought a smile to his face. Oliver closed the door behind him and she undressed. She looked at herself in the mirror and her breath caught. She was covered in purple and green bruises from her forehead all the way down to her hips. A tear escaped her eye, she was ashamed. How could she have been so weak not to defend herself? She looked away from the mirror and stepped in the shower. She turned the faucet of the shower and the heat of the water hit her and that's when she felt it. Felicity screamed as the scolding water hit her skin. Flashbacks of the pain she experienced re-entered her mind and she fell to the floor of the shower and pulled her knees to her chest and placed her hands over her face trying to block the burning water. She was screaming and crying and Oliver was there in an instant. He immediately turned the water off and picked her up and cradled her to his chest. He grabbed a towel and placed it around her. He must not have minded that she was completely naked because he finished wrapping her gently in the towel and sat down on the couch with Felicity curled in a ball on his lap. She was shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

"Oliver, it burned. It burned. It burned so bad." She kept repeating as he pulled her closer.

"It's okay, it's over now." He continued to cradle her as she sobbed into his chest.

They stayed in that position for what seemed like twenty minutes when Felicity finally spoke. "I'm sorry." Oliver quickly turned his head, concern covered his face.

"What, why are you sorry?" He asked softly.

"I'm the weak link. That's why Slade targeted me. He didn't target Sara this time because he knew she could handle the pain that I could not." She did her best to hide back the tears so she wouldn't seem like the weak person she knew she was.

Before she could speak another word, Oliver had cupped her face in his hands. "No, you are one of the strongest people I know. He targeted you because he knew how important you are to me." She was getting lost in Oliver's eyes. She didn't want to reveal this much to him so soon but the timing just felt right.

"Oliver, did you say what you did back when I left because you were trying to protect me from Slade?" As soon as she asked, guilt spread across his face. He began to shake his head and Felicity felt her heart sink, expecting the worse.

"I wanted so badly to protect you." He was intertwining his fingers with hers now, stroking them lightly. "I never wanted to hurt you, I just thought giving you a reason to leave would keep you safe. I called and spoke to Barry, hoping you would go to Central City and he could protect you while I took care of Slade on my own. I'm so sorry. What Slade did to you, that was my fault. He would have never got to you if I just kept you close. I swear, I will never let that happen again." The intensity that he spoke with made her shudder. She believed him, every single word. Her first instinct was to forgive him and that's what she did.

She placed a gentle kiss on his temple and laid her head on his shoulder. "I thought of you every minute I was in that hell. I never blamed you, not once. You were not the reason I ended up the way I did, that was Slade. All you have ever done is try to protect me." She nuzzled her head into his neck and he gently leaned on her. "But promise me that the next time something happens like what happened with Slade, tell me. That way we can protect each other." She sat up so she was able to look him straight in his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I promise." He stared at her and she saw his eyes fall to her lips and then he leaned forward and kissed her. He started out soft but slowly got more aggressive. His hand slid down from her shoulder to the base of her hip and she tangled her fingers through his hair and then it hit her…she was in a towel and naked. She immediately pulled back and yelped. Fear crossed Oliver's face. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry." He began to scan her body and she placed her hand under his chin and quickly lifted his head up so he wouldn't see anything he wasn't supposed to.

"No, no I'm fine."She felt her skin turn bright red with embarrassment. "Ummm, I don't have any clothes on, Oliver." A smile spread across his lips and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was honestly waiting for you to notice; I just didn't want you to be embarrassed." He muttered through soft laughter. She kissed him on the lips once more, letting herself linger to soak him in.

"Well you gotta stick around longer in order to see what's under this towel." She joked and began to get up. Oliver gently grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist.

"I'm not leaving you again anytime soon." He whispered and he pulled her closer to steal another kiss. Felicity's heart fluttered and she felt the memories of her painful experience dissipate. As long as Oliver was with her, she was safe.

 **TO BE CONTINUED….**


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